Mild Kkwari Gochu Jjim (Steamed Shishito Peppers)
Light and mild steamed shishito peppers, lightly coated in flour, steamed until tender-crisp, and tossed in soy sauce seasoning.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This clean and mild side dish is seasoned with soy sauce instead of chili flakes. The key is to steam the shishito peppers in a boiling steamer for 4 minutes to keep a soft, tender-crisp texture without becoming mushy. Milder spring shishito peppers make an especially appetizing rice side dish.
- Servings
- about 4–5 servings
- Cook time
- 4 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Shishito peppers (kkwari-gochu)about 50, 300 g
- Red chili pepper2 (small)
- White part of large green onion (daepa)
- Flour (or glutinous rice flour, korean pancake mix (buchim-garu))4 tbsp
Seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)3 tbsp
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot) (or green plum syrup (maesil-cheong))2 tbsp
- Salta little
- Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
- The red chili pepper is used as a garnish and can be omitted.
- You can use glutinous rice flour, Korean pancake mix, or raw soybean flour instead of flour.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Here are the shishito peppers, large green onion, and red chili pepper.
Today, I'm seasoning them cleanly with soy sauce rather than adding gochugaru, so I prepared a red chili pepper for garnish. (You can omit it.)
And use the white part of the large green onion.
Cut the ingredients
You can leave the shishito peppers whole, but since there were many large ones mixed in, I cut them in half.
Finely mince the large green onion and red chili pepper. (About 4 tbsp minced large green onion and 2 tbsp minced chili pepper will do.)
Coat with flour
The flour sticks well when there is a bit of moisture on the shishito peppers, so you do not need to dry them completely after washing.
Put the shishito peppers and 4 tbsp flour into a plastic bag and shake it to coat them evenly with flour.
You can also use glutinous rice flour, Korean pancake mix, or raw soybean flour.
Place the shishito peppers in the steamer basket and spread them out.
Steam
Pour water into the steamer pot, and once it boils vigorously, place the steamer basket on top.
Cover with a lid and steam for 4 minutes for a tender-crisp texture. Steaming longer will make them soft.
When the white flour coating turns translucent all over, they are well cooked.
Transfer to another bowl and let the heat cool down.
Make the seasoning
In a bowl, mix 3 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 2 tbsp corn syrup (or green plum syrup, rice syrup).
Toss together
Add the cooled shishito peppers...
Toss evenly.
Taste and adjust with a little salt or soup soy sauce, and if you added gochugaru, add 1 to 2 tbsp water to keep it moist.
Finish by adding 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, then mix.
Finish
When you steam shishito peppers and toss them like this, chopsticks naturally reach for this side dish.
Though they are shishito peppers, they gain heat and turn quite spicy after summer into autumn; if you dislike spicy food, right now is the perfect time to eat shishito peppers.
They are tender-crisp yet soft, and the aroma of the shishito peppers is delightful.
It is also delicious if you chop them finer and mix them with rice along with other ingredients.
Ppunwife's tips
- The flour sticks well when there is a bit of moisture on the shishito peppers, so you do not need to dry them completely after washing.
- Cover with a lid and steam for 4 minutes for a tender-crisp texture. Steaming longer will make them soft.
- When the white flour coating turns translucent all over, they are well cooked.
- If you added gochugaru, add 1 to 2 tbsp water to keep it moist.
FAQ
Can I use other flours instead of regular flour?
You can use glutinous rice flour, Korean pancake mix, or raw soybean flour instead.
What should I do if the flour coating does not stick well to the shishito peppers?
The flour adheres evenly when a little moisture remains on the pepper surfaces, so it is better not to wipe off the water completely after washing.
How can I tell when the shishito peppers are properly cooked?
They are properly cooked when the white flour coating on the outside turns translucent all over; that is when you should remove them from the heat.
Can I add gochugaru to the seasoning if I prefer?
When tossing with gochugaru, it is good to add about 1 to 2 tbsp water to adjust the moisture so the seasoning does not become too thick and dry.
